Why is Rice hyper-polluted with Arsenic?
Arsenic content in rice
What is Arsenic?
Arsenic is one of the world’s most toxic trace elements, known by the symbol As !
In its natural organic state is not a health problem, because the body metabolizes and eliminates by the kidneys. It is mainly found in plant and animal tissues.
Arsenic in the inorganic form that is toxic. It is found in rocks and soil or in water. We can found this inorganic form in pesticides and is one of the heavy metals that chemical industry uses. Its accumulation contaminates soils and rivers.
Both forms are naturally present in the environment, but their levels are increasing due to pollution. For a number of reasons, arsenic content in rice is due to accumulates a significant amount of inorganic arsenic.
This inorganic arsenic poses well known health problems:
It is found in almost all foods and drinks, but usually in small proportion.
At low doses — it causes skin pigmentation problems, liver damage and vascular complications in adults.
In high doses — it is a proven carcinogen, causing cancer of the skin, bladder and lung. It can interfere with brain development in children, and in childhood arsenic exposure lead to behavioral disturbances.
High levels are found in drinking water, mainly in South America and Asia.
Seafood — shrimp, shelfish and other seafoods may contain significant amounts of organic arsenic. But mussels and seaweed may contain inorganic arsenic as well.
Rice and rice-based foods accumulate more arsenic than other food crops. In fact, it is the single biggest food source of inorganic arsenic, which means more toxic form.
Examples of rice-based foods:
Rice milk, bran, rice-based breakfast cereals, crackers, brown rice syrup, cereal bars containing rice or brown rice syrup.
The arsenic content in rice culture is very greedy in water, and is the food plant which best concentrates this toxic arsenic. We can find alarming quantities of it, in white and brown rice, but also in products labeled organic, using rice syrup in cereal bars, cookies and baby products.
Why is Arsenic found in Rice?
From groundwater, arsenic finds its way into wells and other water supplies that may be used for crop irrigation and cooking.
Paddy rice is susceptible to arsenic contamination because in flooded fields that requires much more of irrigation water. This water is contaminated with arsenic in many areas. Arsenic may accumulate in the soil of paddy fields. Rice absorbs more arsenic from water and soil compared to other common food crops.
The toxic symptoms of dietary arsenic usually take a long time to develop.
Eating rice every day may pose a health risk for not only adults, young children but also in a gluten free diet.
How to reduce this toxic arsenic content in rice?
- The first measure is to rinse well your rice before cooking it. You should rinse until the water runs clear. This is effective for both white and brown rice.
- After rinsing, boil it in a large volume of water. The more cooking water, the better is the arsenic removal. Its advisable 4 volumes of water to 1 volume of rice — you remove about 16% of the arsenic. But from 16 to 30 volumes of water about 77 to 86% less arsenic you remove. However if the cooking water is high in arsenic, it may have the opposite effect and raise the arsenic content.
- The United States is the richest in arsenic production in all rice. But in Europe and Bangladesh, don’t stay behind. Thai, Chinese and Indian rice contain less.
- Brown rice contains higher amounts of arsenic than white rice.
- Choose aromatic rice such as basmati or jasmine. Preferably rice from Himalayan region, including North India, North Pakistan and Nepal.
As I always advise, avoid processed products, in particular those containing rice syrup or rice powder. Even from organic industry.
If you eat rice in moderation as a part of a varied diet, you will be totally fine.
Types of rice:
There are more than 40.000 types of rice, including white, brown, black and wild varieties. Each of them has its own nutritional profile, and they are grown, in different ways.
Wild rice — is technically the seeds of aquatic grasses, and it is recognized as a whole grain and contains about 3 times more fiber and protein than white rice. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, magnesium and manganese. Wild rice is more nutrient dense, and has fewer calories and carbohydrates compared to other varieties.
Black Rice — its nutritional qualities are the most exceptional of the rice family. It is both very rich in nutrients such as vitamins B, E and calcium.
Its main health benefits are due to its color, which is full of anthocyanins. This flavonoid whose anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial role has been the subject of research in recent years. It would help regulate blood sugar levels and fight obesity. A diet rich in anthocyanins is also associating in reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Black Rice is full of anthocyanins. You can see it turn from black to dark purple during cooking. But black rice is still rice and you should rinse it well before cooking.
Brown Rice — is whole-grain rice that industry removes the outer protective shell, known as the hull, but still contains the bran layer and the germ, which keep significant amounts of nutrients.
The bran of brown rice contains the flavonoid antioxidants apigenin, quercetin and luteolin, which play an important role in disease prevention.
This variety of rice provides similar numbers of calories and carbs to white rice, but has three times more fiber and is higher in protein.
Red Rice — are deeply pigmented and contain several nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. It is high in protein and fiber, and due to its color is high in antioxidants, such as anthocyanins apigenin, myricetin and quercetin.
Flavonoids can help decrease inflammation in your body, keep free radical levels in check, and may reduce your risk of chronic diseases. In fact, research shows that red rice has more potential to fight free radicals that brown rice.
White rice —
The industry removes the husk, bran, and germ. This process extends the shelf life of the final product, but in the other hand the nutrients and beneficial plant compounds found in the bran and germ are lost during the processing.
As a result , it contains less fiber, protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than brown rice. You should eat only occasionally and in moderation.
Brown, Black, Red, Wild and White rice are all nutritious options when used in moderation in a health diet.
by Helena
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